The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Dylan sits down with podcaster Ashley Ray, who has more than a soft spot for her Midwest hometown. Hear why she thinks it may just be the best kept secret, despite its bad reputation. Check out Ashley’s podcast all about TV and culture. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.

Transcribed - Published: 2 May 2025

As a child, Lulu Miller had a beloved dog. But one day, the dog disappeared – and in all likelihood, it was probably eaten by coyotes. Since then, Lulu has been strangely fascinated by these crepuscular creatures. Now, she heads to Graceland Cemetery in Chicago at the crack of dawn – to marvel at the urban coyotes that make the cemetery their home, and to grapple with their longstanding bad reputations. Plus: You can check out the coyote photos of Robert Loerzel (Lulu’s coyote guide) on his Instagram. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2025

Toronto is home to a massive underground mall called the PATH, a labyrinth of hallways with shops, banks, and no fewer than nine Tim Hortons. At 30 kilometers long, it’s the largest underground shopping complex in the world. It's also famously dull. What wonder can be found in a dreary, underground mall? Reporter Elah Feder takes this as a challenge and descends into the PATH to see if she can wring an ounce of wonder from this godforsaken place. Along the way, she ponders the nature of boredom – and confronts some existential questions. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.

Transcribed - Published: 30 April 2025

Dylan has complicated feelings about rats. On one hand, they’re amazingly resourceful creatures. On the other, they caused the bubonic plague (and other harmful situations). So when Terrestrials podcast producer and composer Alan Goffinski went on a rat reporting spree Dylan knew just who he had to talk to in order to come to terms with his feelings about the rodents. From a subterranean rat city underneath NYC to a “rat hotline,” Alan and Dylan journey down the rabbit hole – er, rat hole. Will Dylan come down pro-rat or anti-rat? Let the scorekeeping begin!

Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2025

From laundromats to Sacramento, listeners go to bat for places with bad reputations. All week, we’re collaborating with the great podcast Terrestrials to tell stories about people, places, and animals with bad reputations – and the surprising truths behind them.

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2025

Niles, Illinois is home to an exact replica of Italy’s leaning tower of Pisa - only it’s half the size of the original structure.

Transcribed - Published: 25 April 2025

Adventurer Elise Wortley retraces the footsteps of historic female explorers – and she does it all with no modern gear, no shortcuts, and no guarantees that it is going to work out.

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2025

Producer Alexa Lim travels in search of the Kolache Triangle. Along the way, she visits some of the state’s Czech communities, and hears how the kolache became the gem of the Texas roadside snack.

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2025

Two small stories about two cold nights in different parts of the world. 11:45 p.m. in Oulu was written by Anne Korkeakivi, and 2:30 a.m. in McMurdo Station was written by Elizabeth Endicott. Both essays were edited by Tusshara Nalakumar Srilatha and originally appeared in Off Assignment. Elizabeth Endicott is a writer based in Denver, and Anne Korkeakivi is the author of the novels Shining Sea and An Unexpected Guest.

Transcribed - Published: 22 April 2025

Dylan and producers Amanda and Johanna answer a listener question that leaves them deeply shaken, and slightly disturbed. Have a question for Dylan? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at [email protected], or simply email your question.

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2025

Today, if you venture into the basement of a certain clothing store in the Soho neighborhood of NYC, you’ll find an unusual sight: an old well. This well is tied to the first recorded murder trial in the United States – it’s a story of a 22-year-old woman, her suspicious suitor, and a legal team consisting of none other than Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Author Lauren Willig joins Dylan to tell him the story. The case also inspired Lauren’s newest book: The Girl from Greenwich Street: a Novel of Hamilton, Burr, and America’s First Murder Trial.

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2025

We head to a public bathroom in Alresford, England to hear how a toilet played a key role in flushing out an infamous Cold War espionage ring.

Transcribed - Published: 16 April 2025

The unusual-looking Price Tower, a 1-of-1 from starchitect Frank Lloyd Wright, has been the pride of Bartlesville, Oklahoma for more than 60 years. But the challenge of maintaining the skyscraper as a historic piece of art has made it difficult for the building’s owners to keep it open.

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2025

Producer Johanna Mayer and Places editor Diana Hubbell tell us about two parts of the world where animals have invaded – and taken over. Plus: Tell us about a place that has a bad reputation – but still, you love it. Call us at 315-992-7902 and leave a message with your name and your story. Or you can record a voice memo of any length and email it to us at [email protected].

Transcribed - Published: 14 April 2025

Lake Natron in Tanzania can leave welts and burns on human skin but is a bit of a paradise for another animal.

Transcribed - Published: 11 April 2025

Animal-human conflict expert Bethany Brookshire explains why we put cats before rats – and a lot of it has to do with where we’re encountering them.

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 2025

We go on a hunt for what you might call an entomologist’s most wanted insect.

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2025

Paul Stewart’s childhood fascination with cowboys and the Wild West turned into a museum dedicated to preserving the stories of the American West’s early Black settlers.

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2025

Listeners share stories of leaving home for the first time – from a first apartment in San Francisco, to running away with a member of a famous band, to searching for a piece of Australia in the United States. Plus: Have you ever visited a place with a bad reputation, and found that you actually really loved it? We want to hear about it! Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story about a place that defies its bad rap. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to us at [email protected].

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

We want to hear about a place you love that has defied its bad reputation. Maybe there’s a drab local mall that’s full of chain stores and overpriced frozen yogurt that strangely gives you a sense of comfort. Maybe you love eating at chain restaurants while traveling. Maybe all your high school friends dunk on your hometown, but it’s the place you want to live forever. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Our mailbox will cut you off after two minutes so please call in if you get disconnected. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to us at [email protected].

Transcribed - Published: 5 April 2025

In September 1991, eight people moved into Biosphere 2, a nearly airtight glass and steel complex in the Arizona desert. The half-acre farm at its centre would supply all their food. Plants, algae and photosynthesizing microorganisms would supply all their oxygen. If things went according to plan, they would have everything they needed to survive inside for two years – but a lot of people were betting against them. Mark Nelson wrote a book about his time in Biosphere 2 called Pushing Our Limits. Archival footage in this episode was provide by the Institute of Ecotechnics.

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

In the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, on the tiny island of Saint Helena, sits the Longwood House. It was the final home of Napoleon Bonaparte. And while there – amidst the serenity Saint Helena has to offer – the former emperor of France became a more reflective person.

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2025

An urban explorer ventured deep below downtown Minneapolis in search of Schieks Cave. He discovered more than he bargained for.

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2025

For a brief window in the late 1800s, America’s favorite sport was walking in circles over and over and over. The biggest sporting events in the country were “6 Day Races” – days-long tests of endurance where competitive walkers competed to see who could log the most miles. Check out our guest Matthew Algeo’s book “Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America’s Favorite Sport.” And if you’re so inclined here is a selection of 6 Day Races that you can still compete in today: The Old Six Day, Six Days in the Dome, Across the Years (and a variation on the theme, the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race).

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2025

Producer Johanna Mayer travels to Times Square in NYC,  in search of particular sound that may sometimes go overlooked.

Transcribed - Published: 29 March 2025

Dylan visits a patch of Nevada desert known at times as Paradise Ranch, Dreamland Resort, or as most people know it, Area 51. His goal? To try and find out where The X-Files end, and the truth begins. And he falls deeper down the rabbit hole when he meets a man who is a German immigrant, a programmer, and possibly the premier Area 51 expert in the world: Joerg Arnu.

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2025

How did this philosopher’s dead body wind up on display in a university student center?

Transcribed - Published: 26 March 2025

Two small stories about early morning, otherworldly encounters with animals. 7 a.m. in Kelso was written by Emma Jones, and 10:30 a.m. in Choteau, Montana was written by Annika Berry. Both essays were edited by Aube Rey Lescure and originally appeared in Off Assignment.

Transcribed - Published: 25 March 2025

Dylan and producer Johanna take your questions about exploring abandoned ruins, where they want to carve their initials, and whether they should feel guilt for going on multiple trips to the same location. Have a question for Dylan? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at [email protected], or simply send your question via email.

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2025

We want to hear your stories about the first time you left home to live somewhere else. Why did you make the move? How did you choose your new home… and how did you feel when you arrived? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Our mailbox will cut you off after two minutes so please call in if you get disconnected. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to us at [email protected].

Transcribed - Published: 22 March 2025

One of the world’s tallest waterfalls is nestled in Northwestern Peru, right where the Amazon rainforest crashes into the Andes Mountains.

Transcribed - Published: 21 March 2025

Apple TV’s Severance takes a dystopian view of the middle management office space, where the sprawling corridors, overhead fluorescent lights hide the mysterious purpose of Lumen Industries. But that terrifying imagined office space is based on the real headquarters of Bell Labs – huge, incredible incubator of ideas in the 1960s with the aim of creating a corporate utopia.

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

This ranch in Sanger, Texas trains people in jousting and sword-fighting with the goal of making them knights of the highest order - for the Medieval Times dinner theater chain.

Transcribed - Published: 19 March 2025

Off the southern coast of Jamaica, there are the underwater ruins of pirate city from the 1600s – a city that could be considered the Las Vegas of its time. But its days would come to an end when it faced three disasters in a single day.

Transcribed - Published: 18 March 2025

For this St. Patrick’s Day, author and friend of the show Colin Dickey joins Dylan to demystify leprechauns.

Transcribed - Published: 17 March 2025

Green Bank, West Virginia is free of wifi and cell signals due to the massive telescope nearby that requires radio silence.

Transcribed - Published: 14 March 2025

What happens when a real place becomes a reality TV set? Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker staff writer and author of “Cue The Sun: The Invention of Reality TV,” tells us about the tumultuous first season of Survivor. The island where the first season was filmed, Pulau Tiga, presented serious challenges for cast and crew alike… and then the production team added some of their own.

Transcribed - Published: 13 March 2025

The first time John Ringling and his brothers saw a circus come to town, it changed their lives forever. They’d go on to form their own circus company – which put them on top of the world. Today we trace John Ringling’s rise and fall, from his early days crisscrossing the Midwest in a wagon (dressed as a clown in wooden shoes) to his work establishing Sarasota, Florida as the circus capital of the world. This episode was produced in partnership with Visit Sarasota.

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2025

A Black American living in Korea writes a letter to a restaurant worker, reckoning with race and the meaning of home. This essay was edited by Aube Rey Lescure and originally appeared in Off Assignment. Kat Lewis' debut novel, GOOD PEOPLE, is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in 2026.

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2025

Diana Hubbell and Roxanne Hoorn from the Places team take us to two locations on opposite sides of the world that both evoke deep reverence – and an appreciation for an architectural style not usually associated with beauty.

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2025

Producer Manolo Morales – a verified Little Monster, gallivants around the Lower East Side, via an immersive, performance-art walking tour dedicated to an iconic pop star.

Transcribed - Published: 7 March 2025

James Beard award winning photographer and writer Gary He tells us about traveling to more than 50 countries across six continents, all to document and photograph one of the most popular fast food chains in the world: McDonald’s.

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

In the 1880s, Madrid’s most famous resident was a medium-sized black and white dog called Paco who frequented cafes, parades, and even bullfights.

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2025

In the 1960s, London Bridge was falling down – specifically, it was sinking down under the weight of modern-day traffic. London decided to put the bridge up for sale, and it attracted all kinds of buyers, from casinos to major cities to entertainers. But the winning bid came from an unexpected place: a chainsaw-manufacturing millionaire in the Arizona desert. Learn more about London Bridge at Lake Havasu City, and check out the voodoo doll found under the bridge. Arizona’s Big, Big SouvenirThis episode was produced in partnership with Visit Arizona.

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2025

From a once in a lifetime natural event, to two very different Olympic experiences, to a special concert, we hear listener stories of trekking someplace for the joy of being there up close and in real life. Plus, we want to hear your stories of the first time you moved. Why did you make that move? What motivated you to leave your town? How did you choose your new home? What do you miss, and what are you glad to have left behind? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us your story. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at [email protected].

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2025

The story of Chef Hamissi Mamba, whose family sought asylum in the US and years later founded an East African restaurant that serves up a small slice of Burundi in the Motor City.

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 2025

A couple years ago, Josh Foer, the co-founder of Atlas Obscura, took us to a remote patch of land in the Arizona desert, where he built (and later rebuilt) a museum in honor of the company’s former CEO, David Plotz. And just a few weeks ago, this patch of land appeared on a reality TV show. In a strange collision, Dylan talks with one of the stars of TLC’s Sister Wives about her own experience at the Plotz Plot. The Plotz Plot on… TLC’s Sister Wives?

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2025

Dylan and producers Amanda and Johanna take your questions. Have a question for Dylan? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at [email protected], or simply send your question via email.

Transcribed - Published: 26 February 2025

The pools at Cuatro Ciénegas Basin are a portal into the ancient past – and they may soon disappear.

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2025

In cool, misty forests along the coast of New South Wales Australia, a group of lyrebirds is suspected of singing human songs they learned in the 1920s. A team of researchers sets out to investigate.

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2025